President Dairokuno gives an address
Chairman, Board of trustees Yanagiya gives a congratulatory address
Mr. Honda takes a pledge during the morning session
Ms. Iwashita takes a pledge during the afternoon session
Meiji University held its Entrance Ceremony for the 2022 academic year at Nippon Budokan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on April 7. Under fresh sunny skies, 9,167 new students (8,130 undergraduates and 1,037 graduate school students) made a fresh start to the 2022 academic year.
The Ceremony was held in two parts, one for each of the undergraduate and graduate schools, and each part consisted of an address by President Kosaku Dairokuno, a congratulatory address by Chairman, Board of trustees Takashi Yanagiya and a pledge by the representative of the new students.
In his address, President Dairokuno expressed his gratitude to the new students, who had been taking the entrance examination with the utmost care for COVID-19 infection control measures, as many school events in their high school days were canceled or scaled down due to the spread of the disease, and firmly added: “I hope that you will not be bound by common sense, but look at the problems facing contemporary society and the world, and produce wisdom to open up a peaceful and prosperous era. Meiji University will strongly support your efforts.”
In his congratulatory address, Chairman, Board of trustees Yanagiya introduced the word “purpose”: it has been attracting attention in recent years as a word that expresses the “social significance of existence” in corporate management. He encouraged the new students, saying, “In your student life from now on, I strongly hope that you will continue to face yourself, face up to the question of what value you want to provide to society, and find your own purpose as your compass when you carve out your future.”
As representatives of new students, Kentaro Honda , a student of School of Science and Technology, took the pledge in the morning session, while Chinatsu Iwashita , a student of School of Law, took the pledge in the afternoon session. In the morning session, Mr. Honda said, “I am convinced that everything I will learn and study in my university life, regardless of my field of study, will be in support of precious life. I will always keep this in mind and actively challenge myself in everything I do.” In the afternoon session, Ms. Iwashita pledged her enthusiasm for academic life at Meiji University, saying, “In the spirit of ‘Rights and Liberty’ and ‘‘Independence and Self-Government,’ I want to establish my ‘Individuality’ while keeping my will toward my own goals, with academics as the pillar.”
Following the performance of the school song by the Glee Club and Mixed Chorus, a video message was broadcast by Mr. Jun Mizutani, an alumnus and former professional table tennis player. Mr. Mizutani gave a message of encouragement to the new students, saying, “During the coming four years at Meiji University, please make full use of the power you have accumulated up to now, and devote yourself to studying and doing what you like.”
